Her Photographer
by dragontamer ri-chan
Summary: She HATES her job, but it was the only way to see the man she loved. Was she a fan girl? HELL NO! She'd rather wrestle crocodiles than throw herself at him. But how does he feel about her? Itasaku with a bit of Akasaku.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Please allow me to apologize for any and all mistakes. Also this is a little different than what I usually write so I'm sorry if it's bad or if you just don't like it. I'm trying to expand my horizons.

Disclaimer: It's my plot, mine, and mine. Characters are not mine. It makes me sad.

Her Photographer

Chapter 1: How She Fell

"_Sakura please tell me this is a really bad joke!" Her manager Asuma begged. He certainly didn't want to lose one of his best models. That was understandable. His demanding and picky nature when it came to beauty however was not._

_ "Look Asuma. You have Ino! You don't need me and I can't keep up this life any longer! Besides the only reason I stayed on this long is for," she paused to look at _him _– her photographer– once more as he waited for _her_. "It was for love Asuma. You're madly in love with your wife, so I'm sure you can understand that love makes you do crazy things. Please understand."_

_ Asuma sighed. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess I get it." He resigned._

_ Sakura laughed in pure joy. "Thank you Asuma!" She cried as she hugged him. Then she was leaving to finally be with the man she loved._

_ He looked up from his camera as she walked towards him. He would make a good model himself were it not for those two lines on his face. She thanked heaven for those lines every day because she couldn't handle him having any _more_ fan girls. Itachi took her by the nape of the neck and moved to kiss her._

Sakura awoke to an obnoxious beeping sound. She groaned in frustration. _Did I really just dream that for the twelfth time? Did I? Honestly though who can blame me? I never wanted to be a model. I was coerced. Damn Ino and her conniving, convincing ways. Still I wish I wasn't so in love with that Uchiha. It would make things so much easier. Wait does this make me a fan girl?_ She thought with horror. Sakura however wasn't a fan girl. Despite being in love she _never_ threw herself at a guy. She barely even talked to Itachi. She wasn't in love with him for his looks either. She was surrounded by gorgeous men who vied for her attention.

Itachi was special. He was the one who gave her confidence in herself. Without him she would have had a mental breakdown in the first week of modeling. She wasn't one of those models who went nude for a magazine. No that could never happen. Sakura was a runway model, pure and simple, and Itachi was her photographer for when she did model for magazines. She always modeled clothes though. She knew there wasn't a _real_ nude shot of her anywhere in the world. Sure people tried with photo shop and all that, but as long as it wasn't really her it didn't bother her too badly. She used to love being a model because it made her feel beautiful. Unfortunately things were different now. She was different now. The only reason she stayed was so she could see Itachi.

_-Flashback-_

_Sakura was freaking out. Honestly what made her think she could do this? She wasn't beautiful like Ino. The only thing she had going for her was her brain and she doubted that would be used very often in this career. What had she gotten herself into? It was bad enough with her insecurities, but then that photographer – Itachi Uchiha – had been so arrogant and condescending. He had actually asked if she was sure she was ready for this. Well she was until he had said something! She hated that arrogant prick!_

_Sakura was so worked up she didn't even realize she was hyperventilating until someone came up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She spun around immediately to be faced with her photographer._

"_You need to relax. You have no reason to be nervous. You're certainly beautiful enough for this job and I hear you're a fast learner. You'll have this down in no time so relax." He murmured to her as he gently started to ease her tense shoulders into a relaxed position. He smiled at her in a reassuring manner._

_This amazed her._ _Ino told he _never _smiled. The most anyone ever got from him was a smirk. That seemed so hard to believe with him clearly smiling down at her. Could this really be the same arrogant prick?_

"_You're probably wondering why I was harsh earlier right? In this world of ours even the photographers have an image and reputation to keep up. If I don't act like I know exactly what I'm doing the models would lose their trust in me. If they don't trust me I can't make them look their best. Eventually the partnership would fall apart. Somewhere along the line I was labeled as harsh so I had to become harsh in order to keep up appearances. It's very annoying, but it's the world we live in. I am sorry though." Itachi stated simply._

"_Then you think I can survive this world?" Sakura questioned. For some reason this seemed really important. It was weird because opinions didn't usually matter to her, but for reasons yet unknown to her, his did. She would have to contemplate more on this later._

_He smiled again. "Not only can you survive this world Sakura I think you could dominate it if you wanted too. That will lead to problems with petty jealousies later, but if you can face those with your head held high, I think you'll be just fine." He declared so casually she couldn't help but smile. Then she actually registered what he said._

"_Wait what do you mean?" She asked. Now she was really curious._

"_I think I may have just happened upon the next top model. After all not many people can pull off pink hair."_

_At first she thought he was teasing her, but as he lifted her hand to his lips she saw nothing but the truth._

_-End flashback-_

That was how Sakura Haruno fell for Itachi Uchiha.


	2. The Unwanted Limelight

A/N: Now things start to get interesting. I hope you enjoy and review.

Disclaimer: It's my plot, mine, and mine. Characters are not mine. It makes me sad.

Chapter 2: The unwanted limelight

Sakura made her way into the studio with a complicated mix of feelings. She was looking forward to seeing Itachi but absolutely _dreading_ the jealousy and cruelty of the other models. As worked her way through studio A she pretended the glares and newly created rumors didn't hurt her. _Remember the three C's Sakura. You're calm, cool, and collected. They can't touch you. They can't hurt you. All they can do is try to shake you. Don't let them win._ Sakura ruminated. This is what she went through every day.

"Hello Sakura. How have you been, hmm?" The illustrious Sasori Akasuna inquired while slipping his arms around her from behind. This earned her more glares. Sasori was, after all, very well loved by the female population. He was one of Japan's greatest male models.

"Good morning Akasuna. I see you're still a shameless flirt. If you must know, I've been doing alright." Sakura said evasively, attempting to squirm out of his grasp which he seemed to enjoy very much. The last thing she needed was for Itachi to spot them and get the wrong idea.

"Sakura how many times have I asked you to call me Sasori? You've been _just_ alright? Has something been bothering you Sakura? You know there isn't anything you can't tell me. I can do whatever you need me to. Just say the word." He practically purred rubbing his cheek against hers.

"The only words I'm saying to you are 'keep it in your pants' and 'let me go.' Please Sasori, I've got work." Sakura pleaded with a slight pout.

Sasori wanted to kiss it right off. He reluctantly released her as his phone rang. Since a model's phone is life itself he decided he should probably answer. He didn't want Sakura to think him weird. (It was too late in Sakura's opinion.) As it turns out his manager was the one calling him. "What do you want Pein?"

"_What do you think I want you idiot? I want you to get your ass into studio A and get to work! While you're at it stop flirting with Sakura!"_

Hmm Pein appeared aggravated. "How did you know I was with Sakura? Are you spying on me now? If you are then you should already know I'm in the studio." Sasori questioned.

"_I have people. My people know things. Now get over her and get to work!"_

Sasori decided Pein hadn't had his coffee and decided to end the headache inducing conversation. He tried to turn to Sakura in the (unlikely) hope of going to the set together, but she was nowhere to be found. This was not his day.

This was not Sakura's day. First she was molested by Sasori then she got to Asuma only to find Itachi had called in sick. Unfortunately, Karin hadn't and happened to be in the same studio. She would never pass up a chance to harass Sakura.

"So a slut like you is still working eh? I heard you've been having trouble. Face it Billboard Brow you're all washed up." Karin sneered. It was one of the only things she could do right. Karin was always trying to get the attention of any famous, rich, or handsome man nearby. It was laughable when she called other women sluts.

"What are you talking about? I got several offers for modeling jobs yesterday alone. You must have heard a bad rumor. Thanks for your concern, but shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? I've got to go now." Sakura chimed knowing Karin was just trying to make her lose her cool.

_You're calm, cool, and collected. They can't touch you. They can't hurt you._

Sakura walked over to her stage, as she called it. She looked over to see the replacement photographer Gaara. Sakura smiled. Gaara was a little rough around the edges but unshakably loyal to those who got passed the barriers around his heart. Sakura was one of those people and, though she wasn't aware of it, she had stolen said heart.

Gaara looked up from his camera and blushed as the object of his affections drew near. He immediately fought the reaction seeing as how she was working with a male model today. That meant he would most likely be touching her every chance he got. _What was that models name again? Oh right, his name is Sasori. If I recall correctly even his _manager_ is attracted to Sakura. That could work to my advantage._ As Gaara contemplated this Sasori realized the model he was working with was in fact Sakura. Naturally he was euphoric. He would be able to touch her and hold her close and she wouldn't protest in any way, because it was work.

He just had to get rid of Pein. Oh yes, he knew his manager was seriously attached to the pink haired girl and that was putting it lightly. Sasori glared at Pein who was obliviously drinking some coffee. It was now no wonder he was in such a bad mood this morning. He knew Sasori was going to use this opportunity to touch Sakura as much as possible. Pein was planning to hinder him, he was sure, but he would prevail in the end!

Itachi woke up with a bad taste in his mouth and a sinking feeling in his gut. This was _always_ a bad sign. Sure enough when he turned to look at the clock he _nearly_ went ballistic. He was supposed to be at studio A an hour ago at the latest. He quickly sat up getting ready to go through his daily routine and possibly yell at Sasuke for not getting him up, but suddenly he was reminded of the reason he slept in. A series of coughing fits wracked his body so violently that there was actually the slightest taste of blood in his mouth. It wasn't anything too serious. The violence and frequency of the coughing fits had simply eroded a bit of his lung tissue. He wouldn't die from it, but he shouldn't push himself according to the doctor. He had bronchitis for the third time that year.

He rubbed his temples in frustration. On the one hand his sweet, innocent, and lovely cherry blossom was paired up with a man who isn't afraid to molest her, yet on the other if he didn't recover quickly worse could happen. Sakura didn't have the faintest idea that he was always acting like a jealous boyfriend when she wasn't around. He made her look her best, but he didn't like showing the pictures to anyone. Unfortunately, his job demanded it.

What it didn't demand was him threatening Asuma. The first time it happened was when he finally realized he loved her. Yes he threatened Asuma frequently and made sure the manager was pickier about the jobs Sakura took now that she was in high demand. It started when Asuma accepted a job that would have Sakura naked from the waist up with her arms crossed over her chest to hide it. Asuma received a black eye for that one and was promised more if he didn't turn down the job. Asuma decided he valued his life so he said that something had come up and Sakura couldn't do the job. Itachi's protectiveness only escalated as time went on. When Asuma had told Sakura that she was suppose to get a boob job done within_ hearing range _of Itachi, Asuma was in deep shit. Itachi had threatened, blackmailed, and bribed Asuma many times, but nothing compared to when Asuma was telling Sakura that there was something wrong with her. _That_ was completely unacceptable.

Asuma was the least of his worries though. What truly scared Itachi were the jealous models. Ever since the incident where a model who blamed her career failure on Sakura he _never_ underestimated the levels to which those crazy bitches would sink.

_-Flashback-_

_Sakura was preparing for her shoot. Suddenly a masked person ran straight for Sakura and they were brandishing a knife with the promise of pain in their eyes. Itachi was nearby and, instead of being frozen with shock, adrenaline pumped through him at an unimaginable rate. He ran to Sakura faster than he thought possible and caught the blade of the knife with his left hand. It was the only way to stop the blade with absolute certainty. With his right hand he shoved the attacker to the ground and pinned her. She was definitely female._

_By this time she had started screaming profanities at Sakura. She cried how she gave up everything for her career only for Sakura to come and snatch it away from her. Itachi pushed a pressure point hard effectively knocking her out, but the damage to Sakura was already done. Now she would always blame herself._

_The minute he stood up Sakura took Itachi by his unwounded hand and took him to her dressing room where she brought out a first aid kit immediately. She bandaged the wound neatly without letting a single tear fall, but she had a shadowed and slightly haunted look in her eye that Itachi couldn't abide. Without a word he pulled her to him and pushed her face into his chest. Still she did not let herself cry, so Itachi said the only thing he could choke out._

"_Please Sakura, if you won't cry for yourself, cry for me."_

_She cried for ten minutes in her dressing room before Itachi decided that she needed to go home. She cried for the duration of the drive even when she had to give directions. She cried when Itachi laid her gently on her couch, not wanting to invade her privacy by taking her to her bedroom. She was so distraught that Itachi was afraid to leave her._

_Luckily he didn't have to. Sakura grasped his hand and pleaded with him to stay. Itachi did the only thing his body was capable of doing at the time. He held her until she cried herself to sleep._

_-End flashback-_

Sakura tried to be strong and succeeded a great deal of the time, but Itachi knew that she had been scarred by the incident just as surely as his hand was scarred. At first he had tried to hide the scar from her because he was scared it would upset her but she pleaded with him not too. She told him not to cover up his badge of courage. It was something to be proud of. Sometimes it did open _her_ old wounds inflicted on her heart. At those times she would ask Itachi to hold her hand until she got through it, but he often ended up holding her. There was no room for doubt in his mind. He loved Sakura more than anything or anyone in all of creation.


	3. Worth It

A/N: Okay. It's been forever since I updated but remember that if you kill me the story will never get finished. I know this chapter is short but it was either update now or wait for Christmas. School has taken over. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has stuck with this story. You guys rock.

Disclaimer: It's my plot mine. Characters are not mine. It makes me sad.

Chapter 3: Worth It

Sasori takes back what he thought earlier. This was definitely his day. Despite his manager's constant interference, and even the photographer's meddling, here he was holding _the_ Sakura Haruno in _his_ arms. Could there be any greater feeling than this? He didn't think so. He would also have to thank his best friend, Deidara, later for getting Pein out of his hair.

"Sasori, if I have to tell you one more time to not hold Sakura so close then this shoot will be over." Gaara said monotonously. He sounded indifferent, but Sasori knew better. He was exceptionally agitated. The only time this so-called artist's voice was indifferent around Sakura was when he was extremely pissed off. However that was no excuse to attempt to piss Sasori off. Sasori turned Sakura's head towards his in another amorous pose.

"Aren't you supposed to get the best shot possible? Do you know how much a shot like this would go for? The fans will eat this up!" Sasori exclaimed.

Gaara shook his head. "My job is to make the models look their best. Take a good look at Sakura. For you it's not a problem because you're used to being in positions like these. Your look is practiced and Sakura manages to bring out your natural lover. On the other side of the spectrum is Sakura, who _isn't_ used to these behaviors and poses, which end up making her movements and expressions stiff and forced. You're looking like you're on top of the world, but Sakura looks like she just wants to get this over with. Do us all a favor and tone it down. Give Sakura a chance to loosen up." He growled out. Gaara absolutely hated it when men took advantage of their positions to touch Sakura. It was contemptible to say the least.

Sakura knows this is not her day. If it weren't for Gaara she was sure Sasori would have eaten her alive. Now she was glad Itachi wasn't here. She really didn't want him to see her like this, draped over Sasori's arm like some cheap hooker.

While Sakura was lost in thought, Sasori was actually listening to the photographer and looked at Sakura. He saw that she was on the verge of tears. He noticed that she was tense and upset just like that damn photographer said. He hated it when people were able to prove him wrong.

Finally Sasori relented. He moved Sakura so that she was beside him and took her hand. When Sakura looked up with a questioning stare he smiled softly at her and took her hand and kissed it. He didn't like pulling away from his blossom, but if it meant she wouldn't pull away from him then it was worth it. That's when the pictures resumed and Sakura started to really look her best, making both men fall for her even more.

-Later that day-

Itachi's eyes snapped open. Once again there was that sinking feeling in his gut. He knew something happened with Sakura. He just knew it!

He was throwing a leather jacket over his shoulders when the doorbell rang. He tried to yell for Sasuke to get it, but his voice came out soft and hoarse. He gave up on getting Sasuke's attention and went to get the door himself. Itachi was planning to tell them to get lost until he opened the door and there stood Sakura.

Sakura took a good look at the man she loved and took in his outfit. Though he was dressed for going out he looked like he was about to collapse. He was sweating a great deal and his face was white as paper. There were telltale signs of exhaustion such as the bags beneath his eyes. She lifted an eyebrow.

"Where do you think you're going Itachi?" Sakura asked her photographer. There was no way he was going anywhere but the hospital in his current state. She knew he would hate having anyone see him like this so it amazed her that he could even contemplate going out. She was shocked when he grasped her shoulders all of a sudden.

"Are you alright?" He demanded his eyes filled with worry. Sakura had to look away. She was always making him worry about her. They'd been close for a long time, but it felt like all she did was cause him trouble. She couldn't tell him about what happened, how the backdrop for the photos almost fell on her. Without Gaara's cry to watch out she and Sasori would have gotten hurt. Thankfully Sasori hadn't been frozen like she was. He pulled her out of the way just in time.

Pein had come rushing over to see what was going on. He told her that she should call it a day. He promised to talk to Asuma and work at finding the culprit. Gaara had looked through the pictures to see if his camera caught something, but unfortunately there were no clues and far too many suspects. After everything was said and done though, Sakura had needed to see Itachi. He was the only one who could calm her down. She realized now how selfish that was after she looked at him. He was in no shape to worry about her but he did it anyway without a reason to. Imagine what he would be like if she _did_ give him a reason.

"I'm fine Itachi. I just wanted to check up on you and see if you wouldn't mind me helping out today. I could cook something for you if you like. I brought stuff for chicken soup and porridge. If you don't want either of those I could poke around your kitchen and see what I can do." Sakura said forcing a very convincing smile on her face. She should have known it wouldn't be enough to fool Itachi. He was about to interrogate her when coughing fits wracked his entire body. By the time he was done he was holding his burning ribcage and leaning against the doorframe for support, cursing his self perceived weakness and that Sakura had to be the one to see it. He looked up expecting to find disgust on her face but was shocked to find terror instead. That's when he realized there was blood on his hand.

"It's alright Sakura. It isn't anything that will hurt me in the long run. If you would still like to come in you are more than welcome to." Itachi soothed and invited all at once. Her face hardened with determination.

"There's no way you could stop me after that. Clearly someone has to take care of you." Sakura decided and helped Itachi over to his insanely comfortable recliner. He tried to pull away at first mumbling something about getting her sick, but she refused to give up her hold on him. After settling him in the chair she went upstairs looking for blankets but got the soft and warm down comforter off his bed instead. Immediately after getting the comforter around him she took the jacket he had taken off and put it on a hook near the door.

Throughout this time Itachi watched her loving every minute of this. Sakura Haruno was in _his_ home taking care of him. Having her so close and so focused on him was more intoxicating than anything he could think of. Then she made a couple of his dreams come true. She put on an apron, rolled up her sleeves, and started cooking just for him. She looked like she belonged here in his home and that delighted him. He would soon be able to taste her home cooking. It felt so intimate and caused his eyes to light up with joy at feeling so close to her. Despite the intense elation flowing through him he still looked emotionless. Sakura put down a bowl of homemade porridge on his kitchen table and came to see if he needed help getting to the table. When they got situated and Itachi took the first bite Sakura saw something extremely rare. Itachi's normally expressionless face melted into one of pure euphoria. After seeing Itachi so happy from a simple bowl of porridge Sakura realized that she truly would do anything to be near this man. She would even stay in a career that so clearly endangered her. He was simply worth it.


End file.
